John Rawls never tells all stories about himself,and there are some secrets crucial to an accurate interpretation of his philosophy .Rawls'political philosophy has its intellectual origins in German classical philosophy,Anglo-American analytical philosophy,social contract theory,utilitarian political science and modern economics .Rawls himself is inspired by philosophers ranging from John Locke,David Hume,Adam Smith,Rousseau,Kant,Hegel (Walter T . Stace),Carl Marx,Wittgenstein (Norman Malcolm ),to Isaiah Berlin and Hart . In the construction of Rawls' theory of justice,Hegelian philosophy sets up the framework,and the analytical philosophy offers the methodological guidance and contemporary economics provides the feasible path of actual operation for Rawls' discussions on the principles of justice .Besides,the potential impact of Christianity,positively or negatively,also underlies Rawls philosophy,as Richard Marius mentioned,Rawls'loss of faith is partly attributed to his intellectual involvement with Walter T .Stace's essay Man A gainst Darkness . These backgrounds are deliberately concealed by Rawls for some reason . The sources of Rawls' thoughts which are hidden purposely includes elements from like Oriental mystic Hindu philosophy,Hegelian philosophy and contemporary economic approach to political philosophy . Besides,analytical philosophy is highlighted as Rawls' major academic background and utilitarianism as the academic opposing target,all of which might serve together as misdirection that leads to wrong interpretation of Rawls' political philosophy Terms like″the veil of ignorance,″″original position,″″overlapping consensus,″″principles of justice,″and″the law of peoples,″are usually understood in the light of analytical philosophy,but their non-analytical backgrounds are usually ignored .Improper interpretations of the principles of Justice,which holds the core position in Rawls' philosophy,are inevitable as a result of ignoring Rawls' secret,which produces severe results both academically and socially .In order to avert misunderstanding and comprehend Rawls' theory with accuracy,these covert elements should be paid great attention to and should be taken into account . So the conclusions are : (1 ) Rawls' theory of justice has its intellectual origins from continental philosophy . (2) Hegel exerts a significant impact on Rawls . The framework of Rawls' theory of justice is carried out in a Hegelian manner .(3) The debates between Rawls,Sandel,MacIntyre,Taylor and Rorty are more like squabble between brothers in a big family . Rawls is a continental philosopher in a more profound sense .(4) Rawls' secret-the intentional concealment of some of his academic backgrounds,especially his relationship with Stace-leads to gross misinterpretations of him in China .There is a long way to go in exploring the political philosophy of Rawls for the Chinese academic world .